Phantom Paper Doll

It was almost 10:00 o'clock at night.

Situ He was slowly driving his car around the gradually quietening streets.

His eyes swept from shop to shop.

He had gone around these streets at least five times.

However…

He couldn't find any anomalies.

He couldn't sense any psionic power.

He couldn't sense any demonic power.

However…

Having no anomalies was the most aberrant thing that could occur.

"This is a very old industrial area…," Situ He mumbled to himself. "It is logical that foreign species would like to gather in this kind of old area…"

In old rundown areas like this, the public infrastructure was basically out of date.

The city council and community buildings were also very old.

Many of the buildings were old houses that dated from some 20 to 30 years ago.

There were neither ubiquitous cameras nor adequate police patrols.

These kind of places were the favorite dwellings of foreign species.

But after circling the area at least five times, Situ He could pick up no scent of any foreign species.

This was very abnormal.

Through his many years of experience, there was only one possibility that would cause something like this to happen: an existence so powerful that it was beyond imagination must be entrenched nearby.

The aura that it was unconsciously exuding made all the foreign species want to avoid this area subconsciously.

"I will find you," Situ He muttered to himself. "Even if I must dig through three feet of dirt, I will uncover you."

The Federal Empire despised all supernatural powers that were beyond their control.

Especially if these supernatural powers were in their territory.

Because a person adept in martial arts could break the law with violence.

For existences that were not in their records and thus beyond control, the more powerful they were, the more terrifying they would be.

This had nothing to do with his personal point of view. It was based entirely on the policy toward social stability.

After all, the Federal Empire was so huge and had such a large population.

If someone ignorant were to bump into a transcendent being wielding extraordinary powers who lived in seclusion, thus causing unfortunate events to occur, what could they possibly do about that?

Therefore, the ultimate solution of the Federal Empire was to record and control all transcendent beings and evaluate them.

Those that required supervision by a united front would be supervised, and those that had to be eliminated would be eliminated.

In short, the Empire would not allow anyone to drift outside of its control.

This wasn't tyranny.

This was for the protection of the ordinary people who made up the majority of the population.

In any case, the Federal Empire would not allow any transcendent beings to live among them and to become so-called nobles of the gods, who were superior to the law and other people, as their counterparts were who lived in foreign countries.

Certainly, however, if a transcendent being or foreign species was willing to abide by federal law and obey the arrangements of the Federal Empire, then

preferential treatments and policy considerations would definitely be available for them.

After all, even the weakest of transcendent beings and the most useless of foreign species had their worth.

During the Warring States Period, Lord Mengchang even raised thieves.

The Federal Empire of today doesn't care about spending a few more resources to take care of some seemingly useless transcendent beings or foreign species.

Because perhaps one day they would come in handy.

"Let me see where you're hiding." Stopping the car at an intersection, Situ He walked to a phone booth on the side of the road.

There he took out two emerald leaves from his pocket.

These leaves had been plucked from a locust tree at the top of the Himalayas.

As the highest peaks in the world, the Himalayas had originally been deserted snowcapped mountains.

But 200 years ago, the Spirit Aura recovered and its first wave swept across the world.

Soon, a locust tree grew on top of the highest mountain in the world.

After 200 years, the locust tree had grown so enormous that it had blotted out the sky and covered the sun with its canopy over almost the whole of the colossal mountaintop.

In the wind, snow, and severe cold, it stood firm and unmoving through all time.

What's more, this locust tree even developed some fundamental intelligence.

It learned how to defend itself and counterattack.

Then the governor of the Blackguard personally climbed to the top of the Himalayas and subdued the locust tree, whose wisdom was at its infant stage, and reached an agreement with it.

The locust tree would provide 300 leaves to His Majesty the Emperor of the Federal Empire every year as a tribute, while the Federal Empire would guarantee that its existence in the Himalayas would not be disturbed.

Naturally, the leaves of this locust tree had unceasing amounts of incredible uses.

One of its main uses was to pierce through obstructions to vision.

Situ He solemnly pinched these two emerald leaves and attached them to his eyelids. At the same time, he chanted in a deep voice, "Stars on the terrace flicker with an ever changing effect. Demons be exorcised, spirits be shackled, for peace and quiet to prevail across time eternal. Open my eyes of divinity and grant me sight in every quarter!"

The two precious emerald leaves gradually faded from green, as they were slowly steeped in Situ He's eyes.

His eyes gradually turned pale gold in color.

Then the world that he could see with his eyes altered.

Everything around him gradually lost its color.

Like moss, countless green spots covered the roads.

Numerous footprints of differing shades could be seen overlapping one another.

These were the traces left behind by a Spirit Aura.

"I knew it!" Situ He said. "Something isn't right about this place."

The green spots indicated paths left behind by a Spirit Aura.

These footprints had been left by transcendent beings or foreign species when they passed by.

Looking at the number of green spots and the size of the footprints, Situ He speculated that in the past seven days, at least hundreds of foreign species or transcendent beings had walked around this place.

In other words, his guess had been right.

In this area lay a presence beyond imagination.

Because of its very existence, even the foreign species and transcendent beings who were nearby dared not linger around this neighborhood.

Just like in the jungle, there was a Tiger King.

As a result, other beasts fled, one after another.

In the world of the transcendent creatures, such a situation was even more threatening.

Those who were not strong enough might not even be able to perceive the other's existence.

Subconsciously, they would know to avoid this place where the powerful existence was, driven by their instincts.

"Everything that exists leaves a trace." Situ He stared all around him. "Let me see, where are you hiding? Have you ever come into contact with Zhang Yu?"

As he spoke, he jumped up in the air and scattered a bunch of spirit talismans all around with his hands.

The spirit talismans landed on the ground and turned into small paper figures, hopping around, and heading in all directions.

Then Situ He's figure gradually faded, leaving only a phantom resting in the air.

This was the magic art that he was most proud of: the Phantom Paper Doll.

He was able to place his mind and consciousness into paper figurines.

It was an ever changing magical effect.

More often than not, his enemies would perish without knowing why or even seeing his face.

Most important, if the paper dolls were destroyed, it would have no more effect on him than losing a single strand of hair.

...

Han Li only stayed around 30 minutes at the base.

The flat peach and cerulean spirit tea that she had redeemed were delivered to her.

What's more, they had been delivered by Wang Jingcheng, head of the Donglin City Security Department.

"Major Han…, hello." Wang Jingcheng looked at Han Li, the girl he had watched grow up. He wanted to say something, but was hesitating. "Here are the flat peach and cerulean sprit tea you requested."

Han Li took them. She was well aware that this definitely was no simple visit.

In normal times, there would be no need for Wang Jingcheng to deliver the items personally.

She also knew that this leader of the safe zone must have withstood considerable pressure from others before he was allowed to personally deliver the flat peaches and cerulean spirit teas that she had requested.

"Rest assured, sir." Han Li bowed deeply to Wang Jingcheng. "I will never do anything that will let humanity down."

"Good." Wang Jingcheng nodded. "I trust you!"

"Sir…," Han Li raised her head and asked, "...if one day, when all the monsters and evil spirits cease to exist…"

"What would you want to do?"

Wang Jingcheng laughed. "During the Great Apocalypse, I wrote a report applying for a job change to my superiors."

"If there were no monsters and evil spirits, I would like to go back to my hometown to plant some crops, raise some chickens and ducks, and play in the fields with my grandchildren every day…"

Han Li listened and saluted him solemnly, "I will try my best to make this wish of yours come true!"

Wang Jingcheng smiled. He turned around and said, "Major Han, I know that something must have happened to you..."

"And for some reason, you can't reveal it…"

"But I want you to remember, you are never alone!"

"In this world, no one should deal with something difficult completely by oneself…"

Han Li watched as the figure of her elder faded away in the distance.

Although she had thousands of words in her heart, she couldn't say one.

Because on what the future would hold..., she, too, was clueless.

Tying the two packages containing the flat peaches and the cerulean spirit tea at her waist, Han Li took out the scalding Lower Abyss Research Report and a flashlight that had been placed on top of the book.

She turned on the flashlight. Its bright light shone before her.

Han Li watched the light, but she couldn't help but feel perturbed.

"I wonder if that fog would be willing to open to me?"